In our last newsletter, we introduced you to the Bible Access List, and its upcoming launch. You heard why it mattered and how it was beginning to take shape. Now, we are grateful to say that the Bible Access List 2025 is finally here.
This release represents a full year of research across 87 countries where Christians face the greatest difficulty accessing God’s Word. It confirms what Frontlines International has long witnessed on the ground, while also revealing patterns and needs that are often hidden from view. The results of this research strengthen Frontlines International’s work, providing clarity and direction for our response.
The Bible Access List measures Bible access through two primary components. The first is Access Restrictions, which reflects legal barriers, surveillance, censorship, violence, and social hostility that make owning or sharing a Bible dangerous. This block accounts for up to 75 percent of a country’s total score. The second component captures Other Limiting Factors, including poverty, conflict, illiteracy, infrastructure challenges, and logistical barriers that create severe Bible shortages even where restrictions are lower.
Together, these factors reveal where access is most constrained and where believers are most underserved.
At the very top of the 2025 rankings are countries where Scripture access is nearly impossible. Somalia ranks first overall, followed closely by Afghanistan and Yemen. In these contexts, conversion is punishable by death, possession of a Bible can lead to imprisonment, and believers are forced to live their faith entirely in secret. North Korea also remains among the most extreme environments, where the presence of a Bible is considered a direct threat to the state. Other countries in the top ten, including Mauritania, Eritrea, Libya, Algeria, Iran, and Turkmenistan, reflect a mix of authoritarian control, religious extremism, and systemic repression.
Further down the list, the challenges change but do not disappear. Countries like Myanmar and India rank in the low forties, not because access is easy, but because the nature of restriction differs. In Myanmar, military surveillance and conflict disrupt distribution and worship. In India, rising anti-conversion laws, social pressure, and mob violence increasingly restrict believers’ ability to openly possess and share Scripture, even where Bibles technically exist. In places like Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mali, insecurity and conflict drive extreme shortages, leaving growing Christian populations without enough Bibles to meet basic discipleship needs.
These rankings matter because they move us beyond assumptions. Some countries we expect to be difficult are indeed near the top. Others surprise us, revealing hidden shortages or emerging threats that demand attention now, not later.
For Frontlines International, the Bible Access List is not simply a report. Our mission has always been to sow God’s Word, strengthen believers, and respond quickly when needs arise. The List allows us to do that with greater precision. It helps determine where printed Bibles are safest, where audio Scripture is essential, where digital access is viable, and where discretion is critical for survival.
It also reinforces a truth we see repeatedly in the field. Bible access is not blocked by one force alone. Often, multiple pressures converge. A believer may face government surveillance, family rejection, and economic hardship all at once. The Bible Access List names these persecution engines and drivers so that responses are thoughtful, not simplistic.
As supporters of Frontlines International, you play a vital role in this work. Your prayers sustain believers who must hide their faith. Your generosity helps place Scripture into waiting hands in the right format and language. Your engagement ensures that these realities are not forgotten once the headlines fade.
The release of the Bible Access List 2025 is the start of a beginning. It gives the global Church a clearer picture of where the need is greatest and where action is most urgent. And it reminds us of a hope that outlasts every barrier.
The Word of God is not bound. And together, we are committed to ensuring that no believer is left without it.
